


My Loss is Your Loss

by soulmetalfairy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean Winchester Takes Care of Sam Winchester, Gen, Hurt Sam Winchester, Panic Attacks, Post-Loss, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam Has Anxiety, Sam Is Scarred For Life, Sam is Missing, Season/Series 01, Upset Sam, Vomiting, Worried Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-24 11:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9722249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmetalfairy/pseuds/soulmetalfairy
Summary: It's only been a week since Jess had died, and Sam wasn't coping well. Dean could tell from the smallest of things, one being just the scent of smoke. Dean tried to help make it better, but may have gone about it the wrong way.Takes place shortly after the pilot





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> got the idea after listening to a song while traveling with my sister. I hope that you'll enjoy it.

Dean was worried.

He should be used to the feeling by now. He'd been worrying about almost everything his entire life. However, this was different. This wasn't worry for himself, or worry for his now missing dad. No, this worry was for the closest person to him, and that was Sam.

If he looked out the window, he could just see what looked like the outline of his brother inside the metal gates of the cemetery. He was kneeling in front of a gravestone, his hand tracing the lettering on it the way he had over the last two hour. Dean knew who's name was on that stone, a name that Sam had grown to love in the four years that he'd been away.

Sam had gotten out of the hunting life, he'd made a life, and he'd gotten a girlfriend. Jessica Moore, she had been dating Sam when he'd shown up to ask for his help to track down their father who had gone missing. Sam had been willing to help for the weekend, but had stated that he had to be back at the college. Dean had promised, and had brought him back just like he'd asked. He hadn't immediately left the apartment. He was worried that something was going to happen, but he wasn't sure.

You could believe his surprise when he realized that he was right. Dean had looked away for less than a second, and when he looked back flames were glowing in the window. He'd rushed inside, hoping to get both Sam and his girlfriend out, but it was too late for Jessica. When he found Sam she was pinned to the ceiling above him in flames. Just like their mother when she'd been killed. Dean had dragged Sam out of the room, holding him back when he tried to run back into the room. It was already to late for her, they both knew it, but Sam hadn't been willing to admit it.

Now they were here.

Her funeral had just been yesterday. Dean had promised Sam that they'd stay until after her funeral, and then they'd leave. He'd been hoping to be able to leave Palo Alto soon, but Sam wouldn't leave her gravestone. He wasn't ready to leave yet. So Dean would give him his time, he owed him that much after dragging him away from her. He deserved the chance to grieve, but sooner or later he would have to get him out of here. They still had to look for their father, but there weren't any leads yet. He'd tried calling him the entire time that he'd been waiting in the impala for Sam to come back, and every time that he did it went straight to voicemail. He just wished that their father would actually pick up the damn phone. They really needed a damn break.

Dean looked up towards Sam, and found him standing before the grave now. He was mumbling something as he wiped at his face. He was there for another minute, and then he finally turned back to the impala. Dean started the impala up, but turned the volume down on the radio. He really didn't need Sam to be angry or anything right now. He just wanted him to be comfortable. It was time to get him away from the cemetery. They'd get back to the motel, grab their things, and get the hell out of here.

Sam was at the car a moment later, opening the passenger door to drop into the passenger seat. He wiped at his face again, sniffing rather loudly as he reached to shut the door.

'' You alright Sammy?'' Dean asked, looking over to him.

'' Yeah... I'm f-fine.'' Sam mumbled, still watching the gravestone. '' I can't believe she's gone..... I couldn't save her.''

'' Sammy, stop driving yourself into the ground.'' Dean said. '' It wasn't your fault. If anything it's mine because I took you away from her.''

'' That doesn't help.'' Sam mumbled. Dean glanced at Sam, sadness written all over his face.

'' Alright. Come on, we're getting out of here.'' Dean said, pulling away from the cemetery. Sam's eyes followed Jess's grave until it was no longer in the windshield. He faced forward, his arms wrapping around himself as he leaned against the door. He rested his head against the glass, a shaky sigh escaping his lips. This didn't go unnoticed by Dean, who's eyes quietly strayed over to see Sam. He was starting to shiver slightly, and Dean didn't blame him for that. He was grieving, and in shock from Jessica's death. He'd seen the same thing in his dad when they'd lost their mother. Dean hadn't been wearing his jacket at the time, and it was currently resting on the bench between the two of them. He quietly reached out for it, and unfolded it to throw over top of Sam.

At first Sam was confused, watching as Dean's leather jacket fell overtop of him. He looked towards Dean, wondering why he'd done it.

'' Dean?''

'' You're shivering.'' Dean said. '' Just try to relax Sammy. You're all wound up right now.'' Sam leaned into the jackets warmth, realizing that he was indeed shivering. He leaned on the window again, another shaky sigh escaping him as he was assaulted by memories of what had happened. He tried to forget, but no matter what he did he just couldn't stop it. The memories came, they assaulted him to remind him of what he'd lost. Sam pulled the jacket tighter around himself, trying to forget, but he was caught off guard when he smelled something that only made the memories stronger.

He could smell smoke. It was strong, permiating the air around him which made his breathing speed up. It smelled just like it had when Jess had gone up in that house. The fire had taken her, the smell of the smoke still strong.

'' Sammy?''

Where was that voice coming from? He couldn't even figure out where he was anymore. He was trapped on that bed again, as Jess burned alive above him. He heard a scream, which he didn't recognize at firsts until he realized it was him screaming.

'' Sammy!'' He felt himself fly forward in his seat, his mind finally snapping back to where he was. He was sitting in the passenger seat of the impala, Dean's arm holding him back against the seat as he looked over to him. '' Sammy, are you alright?'' Dean asked. '' You scared the hell out of me.'' Sam ran a hand down his face, finding tears covering his cheeks as he wiped them away. '' Sam?'' He could still smell the smoke. His eyes were searching for anything that could be the cause of the smoke, and he found it after a moment. Halfway up the road sat a scene that looked like a car accident. One of the cars was on fire, and smoke was reaching up into the sky. The sight of it made his stomach lurch, and he quickly turned away with a quick breath.

'' Sammy?''

'' Get me away from here.'' Sam begged, his breath catching in his throat.

'' OK, OK.'' Dean took the impala down another road as quickly as he could, and didn't say a word until they were far away from the fire.

'' It's OK now Sammy, the fires gone. It's gone.'' Dean said. Sam didn't say anything to him, causing Dean to glance over to him. Sam was leaning against the door, his head in his hands as he tore at his hair. He was breating really fast, muttering under his breath. Dean could just hear what he was saying, and it made his stomach turn.

'' She's gone, she's gone. I lost her.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Sammy.'' Dean reached over, setting a hand on Sam's back. He jerked under the touch, cowering away from him as he tried to make himself smaller. '' Sammy, it's alright. You're safe now, the fires gone.'' He felt Sam's back tense under his hand, and then he was pushing up to look at him. There was pain in Sam's eyes, the same pain that he'd seen when dragging him from that apartment.

'' Its gone?'' Sam asked, as if he didn't believe him.

'' The fire's gone Sammy. You're safe.'' Dean said. Sam looked away from him, and whispered in a low voice.

'' Jessica's not safe. She's dead.''

'' Sammy.'' Dean was at a loss for words. What could he say to make him feel better? '' Sammy, there wasn't anything you could do. Now, we're going to head back to the motel, and you're going to get some much needed rest.'' Dean said.

'' No fires.'' Sam said.

'' Right, no fires.'' Dean assured. He stowed this information away. If Sam was going to be leery around smoke and flames then he'd have to play it safe for awhile. He didn't want to set Sam off like that again. Next time it could be worse. Sam sat back in the seat, but he never looked to the window. He kept his gaze down at his lap, his hands tangled in the leather material of Dean's jacket. '' It's going to be OK Sammy. Don't worry.'' Dean assured.

'' I know.'' Sam mumbled. '' But it's going to take time.'' He added.

'' You and I both know that already.'' Dean said as he began to drive back to the motel. '' Just get some rest. It'll be a few minutes because we'll have to take the long way.''

'' OK.''

Dean felt bad because he knew that Sam wasn't going to be able to rest after that brush with panic, and the reminder of his girlfriends death. It was going to be a long road ahead of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Another week has passed since Jessica's funeral, and by now Dean had managed to put over 1000 miles between Palo Alto and them.

He was still driving, heading east for a hunt that he thought would help get Sam back in the game. Sam was asleep in the passenger seat, which was a sight to see for Dean. Sam had barely been sleeping the last few days, averaging maybe a few hours at night. So when ever he'd fall asleep like that Dean would leave him the way he was. He needed the rest just as much as anybody else would, and he was going to get it. Dean just hoped that he would be able to sleep through any nightmares.

Sam had been having really bad nightmares ever since they left Palo Alto. Every night since Jess's funeral he was awoken with nightmares of how she'd died. There were the nights when Dean would rarely notice it, and then there were the nights that he was woken up to the sound of his brother screaming. It was terrifying every time that it happened. Dean had thought almost every time that Sam was being attacked, until he was fully awake himself and could see him writhing around on the bed beside him. He would quickly wake him up, and try to calm him down from the panic that was written across his face. Most nights he wouldn't even go back to sleep after one of the nightmares, choosing instead to stay up and work on research for a hunt or some other form of distraction.

Dean looked over to Sam to make sure he was ok. He was still resting comfortable, his head resting against the window with his jacket wrapped around him like a blanket. Dean was going to give him his own jacket, but Sam had refused to take it when he offered. Dean didn't know if it was just because he didn't want it, or because of something else.

Dean turned back to the road, spotting a sign for the next turn off. That was their stop. The hunt was in the outskirts of Chicago. There was a spirit that was causing some problems. So far it had killed two people, but they were both killed in separate ways from each other. One of them was stabbed, while the other looked like he'd been ravaged by a bear. Another person had gone missing by the time that Dean had caught wind of the case, and after a quick talk with Sam they decided to take it. Dean was still a little worried that something may happen like it had back when Sam had smelled the smoke from the burning car back at Palo Alto. He hoped that it wouldn't happen again, but deep down he knew that something may trigger it. He just didn't know what it would be.

Dean took the net exit, and began to drive through the outskirts to find a good motel to stay at. As he did, he heard a groan from the passenger seat. When he looked over he found Sam starting to stir from his sleep.

'' Hey there Sammy.'' Dean said, watching out o the corner of his eye as Sam sat up. He rubbed at his eyes, groaning again as he looked over to him.

'' Where are we?'' Sam asked, his voice still a little sleep filled.

'' We're just outside of Chicago. I thought we'd find a place to lay low for the night and head to that old house to take care of the spirit.'' Dean explained.

'' Good.'' Sam settled back in his seat, looking out the front window. Dean could sense that something wasn't right. He had to say something, or he may explode.

'' Is something wrong Sammy?'' Dean asked, glancing over for a second.

'' I'm fine..... Just a dream.'' Sam mumbled.

'' A dream about Jess?'' Dean asked. Sam turned away, his head resting against the window again.

'' I don't want to talk about it.'' Sam said.

'' That's ok Sam.'' Dean said. '' You don't have to talk about it, I'm just a little worried is all.''

'' They keep happening Dean.'' Sam mumbled. '' I can't make them stop.''

'' It's only been two weeks Sam. It'll be awhile before they finally stop. It was like that for Dad when we lost mom. I can still remember him waking me up more screaming then you would, and you were only six months old.'' Dean said.

'' Thanks.'' Sam said in what sounded more like a mocking tone then anything.

'' Just trying to help bitch.'' Dean said.

'' Whatever, jerk.'' Sam said back, shooting a smirk over to Dean. Dean returned the look, a smile spreading as he turned towards a nearby motel. Maybe this hunt would turn out alright.

 

\---

 

 The house was much larger than Dean had thought it would be.

'' I thought you said this was a one story house.'' Sam said.

'' I thought so to, that's what the report made it sound like.'' Dean mumbled. The house actually stood at about two stories high, and was much larger than anything in the reports had said.

'' You did get the right place right?'' Sam asked.

'' Yeah, I got the right place.'' Dean said. '' This was the address. This is where all those people were killed, and apparently where the last owner was killed as well.''

'' What else did you find out?'' Sam asked.

'' I found out that they never retrieved the body. There are rumors that its buried in the basement. So that's what we're going to check.'' Dean said. '' So lets get going.''

'' Right.''

The brothers approached the building with a skip in their step. A hunt. An actual hunt that could get them back on their feet. Sam hadn't hunted in four years. He hoped that he could still do it all. He was pretty sure that he could, but he still doubted himself. He was still grieving for Jess, could it mess with his ability's to hunt properly?.... No.. He wouldn't let it. He would be just fine. He was with Dean, he had help, so he should be ok.

They walked inside, the door creaking on old rusted hinges as it swung inwards. Dean took the lead, salt gun held up in front of him. Sam covered their backs, a salt gun also in his hand. Could never be to safe. The house was definitely smaller on the inside, making the place feel a little cramped. There was a set of stairs straight off to the left that led up towards the second floor. There were a few doors leading to other places in the room. Dean tested a few of them right off, finding that they just led to other empty rooms. Until he reached the last one on the right of the room. When he opened it he found a stair case that led further into the house.

'' Bingo.'' Dean mumbled.

'' He better be buried down there, or this will all be for nothing.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Quit whining. Come on.'' Dean said. He took the lead down the stairs, the old wood creaking under his weight. They'd already lost the chance at surprise, so they would just have to roll with it. The steps went down for awhile, and the further down they went the colder it got. The basement seemed more like a cellar now then an actual basement. Then again, given how old the house was said to be, it probably was a cellar. They reached the bottom after a moment or so, and the began to investigate what was down there.

The room they'd entered wasn't very big. It was about 10 by 10 on either side of them, and there was no apparent light source. Their flashlights would just have to do. Dean walked to the middle of the room, and dug the tip of the shovel into it to mark the spot.

'' Alright, we start here. Get digging.'' Dean said, turning to face Sam. Sam shucked off the weapons duffel, and picked up the shovel he'd brought.

'' You're sure that he's down here, or else this is all for not.'' Sam said.

'' Yes, I'm sure he'd down here, now get digging.'' Dean said. Sam dug his shovel into the ground, and the two set to digging the dirt up. It was a little harder than normal. The dirt in this cellar had been compacted hard, and was trapped in a cold room for the last hundred years. Give or take a few, it didn't matter, what did was the fact that the earth was as hard as rock.

They had managed to get about two feet down in a little under an hour, but were caught off guard when something loud banged overhead. The brothers looked towards the ceiling, listening closely for any other sounds. There wasn't another one, but there attention was still drawn to the first.

'' What the hell was that?'' Sam asked, looking towards Dean.

'' Looks like the old mans looking for us.'' Dean said. He reached for the salt gun, setting his shovel aside. '' Stay here and keep digging. I'll go make sure no one else is trespassing or something.''

'' Right.'' Sam said. He watched as Dean left, not taking another shovelful out of the hole until he was gone. Sam had a bad feeling creep over him as he kept shoveling. It wasn't usually a good idea to split up during a hunt, and he knew that better then anyone. Their dad had driven it into their heads as kids, and that drilling hadn't left yet. Not even for years away could wipe that slate clean. He understood why it was Dean had left, they had to make sure that no one was going to show up and end up hurt, but it still wasn't a good idea to split up in the first place.

Sam kept shoveling for about ten minutes, starting to get a bit worried until he felt the shovel hit something that wasn't dirt. He took the flashlight to get a better look at what he'd hit, and he was surprised to see that it was a bone. Dean had been right, the body really was buried here. Sam began to uncover it as quickly as he could, managing to free the upper body of the bones first. The jaw of the skull managed to detach in the process, making Sam jump back for a moment. He guessed that it happens when you haven't hunted in years, you start to jump at the little things. He turned to start to get the legs uncovered, but was caught off guard as the temperature started to drop around him.

He saw his breath cloud before him as the flashlight began to flicker. Sam turned to see where the spirit was, recognizing the signs from all those other hunts. He saw a flash of white before his eyes, and then he was shoved hard in the chest. He flew across the room to the wall, hitting hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs. He slipped to the ground, kneeling forward as he tried to look up to see where it was. The spirit was right before him a moment later, and its hand was reaching out to touch him. Sam pressed back into the wall, but it did nothing. The spirits hand cupped his cheek, the touch cold as ice against his skin, and then his world began to spin.

His vision was filled with an orange light, and the air around him seemed to fill with smoke as he began to choke. Oh god, what was going on?

Sam couldn't breath, and his skin was burning by the time that he finally called out for help.

'' DEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!''


	3. Chapter 3

'' DEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!''

He'd heard Sam's scream like it was a dagger through his heart. It echoed off the rotting walls of wood around him, reverberating around him as he spun towards the basement door.

'' Sammy!'' Dean was moving in seconds, running down the stairs as fast as his feet would carry him. Sam was n trouble. He was stupid, so stupid. He shouldn't have left Sam alone. It was a dick move on his part, and Sam was paying the price of it. He reached the bottom, his eyes finding the hole where half of a skeleton was exposed. They quickly flicked up to where another pained scream came from, and he found the spirit overtop of Sam, his hands glowing brought red as they traced across Sam's body. His back was arched off the floor, and his eyes were clouded as if he couldn't really see what was in front of him.

'' Get away from HIM!'' Dean held up his shot gun, and fired a salt round into the spirit. It dissipated with the first shot, the last of the blast coating Sam's clothes as Dean ran to his side. '' Sammy, hey.'' Dean skidded to his knees, his hands hovering over his brothers trembling form as he took in what he was seeing. The spirit had burned him. It had f**king burned him. The burns were nasty and blistered, running up his arms and side. There was one across his face, which brought him to Sam's eyes. They were unfocused, glazed over as he heaved in breath after breath of air. '' Sammy?'' Dean cupped his brothers cheek, the one that wasn't burned, and tried to draw his brothers gaze towards him. Sam wouldn't even look at him. He was to far gone. What ever he was seeing was something that he couldn't stop. All he could do now was get rid of this spirit, and get Sam some help. Those burns were really bad, and he would need medical help that Dean couldn't offer.

He scrambled over to the grave, hastily uncovering the rest of the body. When the bones were exposed he salted them as best he could, and was pouring the lighter fluid over the bones when the temperature dropped again. He heard a strangled scream from Sam, and when he looked back the spirit was back. His hand was held over his chest, glowing bright orange as it laid flat on his skin, and Sam screamed out in pain.

'' NO!'' Dean fired two more times, the spirit dissipating again. He spun around, flipping his zippo lighter on, and dumping it into the hole. The bones caught aflame, but Dean left them to burn as he turned to Sam. He pulled him up, his hands gripping his shoulders as he quickly guided Sam to his feet. He could barely stand, prompting Dean to throw his arm over his shoulders. '' Hang on Sammy. You're going to be OK. You'll be alright.'' Dean said, walking past the burning bones to get to the stairs. He basically carried Sam up, and out the front door. He didn't stop until he'd hit the grass, and was within feet of the impala. That's when he felt Sam jerk against him, and a loud whimper came out.

'' Sammy?'' Dean stopped abruptly, eyes searching his brother as he seemed to register what was going on.

'' Dean... What..... Oh god!'' Sam's breathing was picking up, and Dean quickly felt his legs give way from under him. He had to act fast to keep him from taking them both down, in the end lowering him to the ground when it was clear that he couldn't stand. Sam was still breathing hard, and he was making a keening noise in the back of his throat as his arms reached up to try and block off what ever it was he was seeing.

'' Sammy, stop, you're going to hurt yourself.'' Dean urged, grabbing Sam's uninjured arm and pinning it to his side. Sam just looked at him, eyes wide and full of fear as he breathed even faster. '' Sammy. You need to calm down, its alright. The  things gone, there's no more fire. You're going to be fine.'' Dean said. Sam fought his hold, only causing himself more pain like Dean had warned.

'' Flames... Dead... They're dead.'' Sam got out, fighting Dean's hold even more. Dean held him steady, finally managing to get Sam's arms pinned. '' Let me go!'' Sam howled.

'' Sammy STOP!'' Dean shouted. Sam finally stopped, and just looked up at Dean. '' That's it Sammy. That's right. Just look at me. Tell me what you saw. What happened?'' Dean begged, hoping to distract Sam from what ever panic inducing vision thing he was seeing this time.

'' I..... I saw fire...'' Sam said. Tears welled up in his eyes. '' Fire... It killed him... It tried to kill me, and it killed him!'' Sam tried to shoot up out of Dean's arms, but he held him down against the ground.

'' Sam, who died?'' Dean asked, keeping his tone soft.

'' It was you.'' Sam said. The tears fell, leaving tracks down his face. '' You died just like Jess did. I couldn't save you.'' Sam cried out.

'' Sammy.'' Dean let up on his brother, and Sam sat up on his own. His arms shot out, and wrapped around Dean in a tight grip that threatened to push the air out of him.

'' I watched you burn alive, and there was nothing I could do!'' Sam screamed into Dean's chest, a sob wracking his body. Dean wrapped his arms around Sam's body, holding him against his chest as he sobbed. '' Please, don't die Dean. Don't.'' Sam begged. Dean just rubbed at Sam's back, soothing him as best he could.

'' It's alright Sammy. I'm not going anywhere. You've got me from now on.'' Dean said. Sam still needed a hospital, but right now he needed this. He wasn't going to move until Sam was ready to, and he was pretty sure that Sam was quite intent with that plan given that he was still sobbing. '' I'm not leaving you again Sammy. I promise you.'' Dean whispered into Sam's hair as he kept rubbing soothing circles across his back.

'' I know.'' Was Sam's response.

 

\---

 

'' How did your brother get the burns again?''

'' I told you. We had been putting a light fixture into his shed behind his house, I walked out for a second to get something, and when I came back the building was on fire. I could barely get in to him before the entire thing was up in flames.'' Dean said. The doctor seemed to doubt his story, but he took it anyway. '' How is he doing now doc?'' Dean asked.

'' Well, his burns are extensive, mostly second degree with a few first. I dressed them, but most of them have been left exposed to heal faster. However, its not his physical injuries that I'm worried about.'' The doctor said.

'' What do you mean?'' Dean asked, dreading the answer.

'' When we were working on your brother, he was exhibiting panic at a single question about the burns, saying that he'd lost _them_. Can you tell me who _them_ may have been?'' The doctor asked. Dean didn't want to tell him, but it had to be said.

'' About two weeks ago, my brother lost his girlfriend to a house fire. He's been having some really messed up nightmares from it, the most recent being of what had happened that night except instead of her on the ceiling it was me.'' Dean said. '' I'm starting to worry about it. He's not getting enough sleep, and he's barely eating. Now this on top of it.'' Dean glanced over to the curtained off area where Sam was resting.

'' Your brother will be fine.'' The doctor assured. He set a hand on Dean's shoulder to assure him as he went on. '' It takes time to get past grief. I can tell that you're doing your best for your brother. Keep u the good work and he'll be just fine.'' The doctor assured. '' Now go see him. I'll have the release papers ready for him once we get his prescription cleared and ready to go.''

'' Thanks doc.'' Dean stepped around the doctor to see Sam. He walked into the room, and found him laying on the bed with a nasal cannula on his face. He gave a weak smile to Dean.

'' Hey.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Hey there Sammy.'' Dean said, walking towards the side of the bed. '' How are you feeling now?'' Dean asked, eyeing the wrappings and exposed burns on his arms and chest. The one on his face was covered by gauze.

'' High on pain meds.'' Sam admitted. '' But I feel a lot better.''

'' Finally came down from your little episode?''

'' Yeah.'' Sam said. '' I still can't believe that happened.''

'' Hey, it happens Sam.'' Dean said. '' It'll be a little time before you're back up to game, and until you're able to get past what happened.'' Sam nodded his head, but there was a sad look in his eyes. '' Sam?''

'' It's really hard to forget.'' Sam said. '' I try every day, but I still can't forget about her. It's always there, what happened to her.''

'' Hey.'' Dean quickly caught Sam's attention, pulling him out of his downward spiral back into panic.'' It wasn't your fault Sam. I promise you, we're going to find the thing that took her from you, and I won't stop you from killing it.'' Dean said. '' We will find it, and we will end it. For both mom and for Jessica.''

'' We don't even know where to start Dean.'' Sam said.

'' And when we find dad we'll have a lead. he was getting closer when he disappeared, now we just have to find him and get the lead we need.'' Dean said.

'' You better be right.'' Sam said.

'' Hey, I'm always right.''

'' No you're not you jerk.''

'' Shut up, bitch.''

Sam just chuckled at that, his head falling back on the pillow as his eyes drifted shut. Dean kept watch over Sam as he began to drift off, but was caught off guard when he heard a small whisper.

'' You'll keep your promise, right Dean?'' Sam asked, one eye cracked open to see him.

'' I will Sammy.'' Dean assured. He took Sam's hand into his own, giving it a firm squeeze.

'' Good.'' With that, Sam dropped off into sleep. Dean didn't let go of Sam's hand. He kept ahold of it, watching over his baby brother to ward of any nightmares until the doctor came back to release him.

'' I'll keep you safe Sammy. Just promise me that you'll try to stay out of trouble.'' Dean whispered.

Dean wouldn't know, but Sam had made that promise as he dropped off.


End file.
